If you spend a lot of your daily time online, you’re probably subscribed to a few newsletters you never plan on reading. Having a messy mailbox is nothing unusual (we have all been there), but the clutter can get quite frustrating after some time. For instance, you may be expecting a time-sensitive email only to end up missing it due to your inbox being a cluttered mess. Now, that’s something that’s better avoided, isn’t it?
Well, in this article, we’ll show you all the ways you can tidy up your virtual mailbox in no time whatsoever.
Here they are!
Use your inbox’s built-in features
Now, the efficiency at which you’ll be able to do this mostly depends on your email provider. If you’re using Gmail, you’ll be able to delete 50 emails at once (max), while Outlook lets you delete your entire inbox in one go. Of course, if you have thousands of emails in your inbox, but you want to save the important ones among them, these methods might be ineffective for you. Doing it manually (deleting one at the time) is always an option, but it can be overly time-consuming depending on the size of your inbox.
So, if you have years of hoarded spam mails, these methods might not be the best for you. Nonetheless, if you still decide to go this route, we suggest selecting the maximum number of emails and then deselect the ones you want to keep. In this way, you’ll save hours of your time by simplifying the process as much as possible.
Unsubscribe!
When you open your inbox, you’ll notice that specific companies spam you way too much. Like your inbox-consists-of-only-their-emails much. You might have subscribed to their newsletter out of curiosity, or perhaps you made a one-time purchase: whatever it is, it’s time to unsubscribe. Even if you manage to clean up your inbox, it will all amount to nothing if you keep on getting spammed.
On the other hand, if there’s a newsletter that you’re genuinely interested in seeing, organize it in a separate folder. There’s no reason for discounts and promotions to get mixed up with your regular mail.
Overall, if you want to clean up your inbox (and keep it that way), make sure to unsubscribe from those uninteresting newsletters. You’ll see the difference in no time, and your cluttered inbox will become a thing of the past.
Turn off Social Media notifications
Do you really need to get an email every time your grandma comments on your latest Facebook post? Exactly. If you want to check your social media notifications, you’re probably not opening your email to do it anyway. You simply log onto your social media accounts and check for news there. So, remember to change the settings and disallow those email notifications as soon as possible. The same goes for outside apps and other types of non-email-related messages.
For future reference, never allow those notifications in the first place. Whenever you’re creating an account somewhere, they’ll ask you whether you want to receive emails or not. Always choose not to, and you’ll prevent your inbox from ever getting messy again.
Lastly, if, for any reason, you wish to keep receiving those notifications, remember to sort them into a separate folder. Gmail and some other providers will do this automatically.
Get some third-party assistance
If your inbox is so messy that cleaning it “by hand” seems impossible, your safest bet is relying on third-party software such as CleanEmail to do it for you. These software solutions can provide you with the necessary tools to make the decluttering process as easy and seamless as possible.
Of course, make sure to research different providers before you purchase your software. Their reputation needs to be spotlessly clean, and they should provide info on how they deal with security and vulnerability issues. Your inbox certainly contains tons of sensitive data, so you should never give access to just anyone.
Generally, if your inbox is so severely neglected that cleaning it would take days to complete, consider investing software tools that can significantly simplify the process.
Keep multiple accounts
Separating your business from your personal account is of the utmost importance. You should name your professional email according to your profession, and your company should have their servers to provide you with your own business account. However, many people make the mistake of using their work mail to browse the web. Giving your work email to sketchy websites won’t only clutter your inbox, but it puts sensitive company data at risk.
So, whatever you do, keep your personal account separated from your business one. No matter how tempting it may be to simply “have everything at one place”, we heavily advise you against it. Furthermore, you could always have a special account where you’ll put all of your unnecessary subscriptions and junk mail.
Don’t overdo it with folders
Folder systems are great for keeping your inbox organized and tidy. However, we suggest you create no more than five. For example, keep one for your social media endeavours, one for friends/family, and the third one for formal correspondences. Having ten different folders may seem like a good idea at first, but managing it is another story. Again, this is where a high-quality software tool can help you! You could always automate where your emails go by merely filtering your contacts or by using common keywords!
All in all, while keeping your mail in folders is an excellent idea, make sure not to overdo it. Try using different software tools for easier folder management, and don’t neglect your inbox again!
If everything else fails, make a new account
Cleaning your mailbox can be quite a daunting task, especially if you haven’t done it in years. Make sure to try the methods we listed above, but if nothing seems to work… maybe it’s time to start anew. Simply delete your account and create a new one, but this time, be careful to keep everything tidy as you go.
